


Luck of the Draw

by Etoile_Filante



Category: RWBY
Genre: End of Volume 7, Fair Game's typical amount of flirting, Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, One Shot, Slight Self Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etoile_Filante/pseuds/Etoile_Filante
Summary: The big Team's business in Atlas is done for now and Qrow can finally leave the city he's always hated. But somehow, his heart is not in it. The night before leaving, he is able to have one last conversation with the only person holding him back; Clover.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 113





	Luck of the Draw

**Author's Note:**

> Fair Game has taken over my life, heart and brain so here am I. After 4 years of not writing anything, I offer the RWBY fandom this humble one-shot of grown ass men being really gay. I'm a bit rusty so it might not be good, but I'm just happy to write again.  
> Please keep in mind that English is not my mother-tongue. I hope you enjoy!

It was time for them to leave Atlas. Unable to retrieve the staff of Creation from the vault as long as Winter Maiden Fria's power were not passed onto Winter, Ruby decided to head to Vacuo.  
And Qrow understood her decision, he really did. They couldn't kill Fria and they couldn't force the staff out of the vault. With a menace as big as Salem, staying put and waiting for an opportunity to rise was dangerous and the kids understood that more than anyone else. General Ironwood had promised to contact them immediately, should the situation in Atlas change as well as offering them a state-of-the-art airship to insure Ozpin's group the safest journey possible. 

At the moment, Qrow was sitting at a table with his hand in a bowl of crackers. Ironwood had insisted on giving them a goodbye party as «an apology for all the trouble you've encountered here in Atlas and a good luck on your dangerous journey». The memory of it made Qrow snicker. As if luck was something they could count on with him on board. Lying in bed at night, he thought about staying behind, about letting the kids handle this and watching them from afar as he once did. But he knew this wouldn't work; Ruby and Yang wouldn't allow it. He saw the way they looked at him, the little glimmer of pride in their eyes everytime Qrow would pour water in his glass. For the first time in years, he was making his nieces proud and intended to keep going. Staying clean wasn't an easy thing to do after an entire life spent in bars and stranger's beds. His body would way too often remind him that being sober was not only a state, it was a process. Which was why he was currently stuffing his mouth full of crackers while trying to ignore the temptation of the bar right across the room. Ironwood had silentely apologized for the presence of alcohol, not that Qrow needed the apology. His problems were his and his only, nobody's business.  
Although Clover seemed to disagree with that. 

“Enjoying the party?”

Speaking of the devil...

“Clearly not as much as you.” answered Qrow looking up and seeing the almost empty glass of red wine in the Leader's hand

“Ah... Sorry about that'.” said Clover. He raised his glass to his mouth as to finish it, but quickly lowered his hand and put his drink on a waiter's tray, smiling as he watched it leave their sight.

“You didn't have to do that.”

“I know. But you're clearly making effort for yourself and your nieces so I might as well support you. The wine wasn't even that good to begin with.”

Qrow smiled and hoped Clover would be too distracted by sitting next to him -way too close to him- to notice the growing blush on his cheeks. He didn't comment on the blatant lie about the wine's quality, instead choosing to accept the Ace's comforting presence. Throughout their entire stay in Atlas, Clover had gone out of his way to partner with him during missions, compliment him on his skills and generally spending all his free time playing cards with him. Or rather, beating him at cards. Qrow blamed his 43 defeats on the guy's Semblance.

“Shouldn't you hang out with your team ? Won't they be lost without their fearless leader to guide them?”

“I see these guys everyday” laughed Clover. “You however, I probably won't for a while. What about you, shouldn't you be with your eight kids?”

“They're doing just fine.” grumbled Qrow as he watched Blake and Yand being their usual blushing mess around each other. “Besides, they're not my kids.”

“I won't call you out on this lie because you didn't call me out about the wine. But you're right. They are doing fine. Thanks to you.”

Qrow internally sighs and used every bit on control he had on his body not to bury his head in his hands. He didn't need this. He didn't need this guy's constant flirting and supportive comment. He really didn't.  
Except that maybe he did.

Suddenly the air was too thick and the smell of wine was too strong ~~and Clover's smile too bright.~~

“I... I'm gonna step outside for a bit.” stuttered Qrow as he rose from his seat

“Cool. I'm coming with you.”

“Yeah. Of course you are.”

🍀🍀🍀🍀

In the small garden by the building, Qrow felt more at ease. Night, silence and solitude, that he knew. Except Atlas' lights had killed the night, the party's music had killed the silence and Clover was slowly killing the solitude. Sitting on a bench and with a guilty wish that he had something stronger than water in his drink, he took his time to think while the other man sat next to him in a comfortable silence. Qrow was a lot of things but dumb wasn't one of them. He knew he had a crush on Clover. Crush... The word made it sound like they were 14 year old boys going through puberty. He... really liked Clover. Really really liked him. And the constant flirting wasn't helping. But he was leaving tomorrow morning and what was the point of a relationship anyway, with a misfortune Semblance like his.

“If you keep thinking this loud, I won't be able to hear the music.” casually said Clover.

Qrow turned to look at him and immediately wished he hadn't. The Ace Ops Leader was looking at him with the softest smile on his face, one that Qrow would have never imagined could be directed at him.

“Didn't force you to come with me.You could have listened to the music perfectly well inside.” teased Qrow. He quickly added a smirk to his words. He didn't want Clover to think his presence was unwelcomed. Not that it would drive him away, the persistent bastard.

“What if I like the sound of your voice better?”

“Are you always with smooth?”

“Only when I'm really interested.”

That made Qrow stop and blush. Again. He couldn't stop blushing when Clover was around. The last few weeks, they both hadn't been shy with the blatant flirting but this was the first time Clover admitted to being serious. They had grown closer and closer with time and suddenly, Qrow was cruelly reminded that he would leave tomorrow.

“I haven't forgotten.” said Clover. He looked at Qrow and read the surprise on his face “You just said that at loud.”

Qrow just grunted in response, to busy cultivating his growing feeling of self-pity at the thought that what he had with Clover would be gone in the morning. Without thinking, he said  
“Come with us.”

Nothing was said. Nothing moved. Clover barely flinched, almost like he didn't hear the insane words that came out of the Huntsman's mouth. But before Qrow could even start apologizing, he spoke.

“I...can't.”

And Qrow really wish he couldn't hear the hurt in his voice.

“I really like you Qrow. I really do. But I can't. Not because I have my whole life here or any cliché excuse, but just because I have my job here. Atlas needs me.”

“Atlas has other people.” selfishly thought Qrow. “Atlas has hundreds of soldiers, 4 other Ace Ops (almost) as good as you. Atlas has Robyn Hill, Winter Schnee, James Ironwood and Penny, Atlas has state-of-the-art technology. Atlas will do well without you.  
I won't.”

But he didn't say any of that. Couldn't say any of that.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It was stupid.”

“No I-”

“Drop it, Lucky Charm. It wasn't fair to ask anyway. I'm a big boy, I'll get over it.”

The next few minutes were spent in awkward silence which was new for the both of them.  
Suddenly Clover sighed and pulled out a deck of cards from his coat. Of course he did.

“Wanna play?”

🍀🍀🍀🍀

That night, Qrow went to bed with a new personal record of 44 defeats and a heavy heart.

🍀🍀🍀🍀

The next morning, he rose early. The kids had decided to leave in the morning to arrive in Beacon as soon as possible. Not that Qrow minded, he didn't get much sleep anyway.  
He stepped out of bed, finished packing his bag and left. In the back of his mind, he marvelled at how little time he had needed to clear his room. Then he remembered that most of his nights the last few weeks had been spent in Clover's suite. Not that anything happened. He would just miss falling asleep on his couch, which was way too comfortable to just be used as a couch anyway. Ace Ops privilege, Qrow guessed.

When he arrived to the airship's platform, he didn't dare to raise his head, didn't want to see Ironwood, didn't want to see Schnee, didn't want to see the Ace Ops and certainly didn't want to see Clover. He just wanted things to get over with.  
When Ironwood got closer and started explaining a lot of serious things Qrow couldn't have cared less about if he tried. Sometimes he really regretted being the only adult in his new team. Couldn't the oh-so-clever General see that he wasn't in the mood? Not that he would have cared. To him and to pretty much everyone else, Grumpy Qrow was Normal Qrow.

“Well, good luck on your mission.” finished Ironwood by holding out his hand

“D'you know who you're talking to?”

“Yes. Despite everything, you have my trust.”

Qrow looked up and sure enough, Ironwood had a little smile hidden by that awful beard of his. Maybe just this once, he could let the man get away without a sarcastic comment. So Qrow just shook his hand.

He was ready to go on board and briefly waved at the Ace Ops, hoping to see Clover on last time but froze with his hand mid-hair.  
Clover was nowhere to be seen.  
Qrow tried to keep his emotions in check but even he could tell disappointment and hurt were written all over his face. He felt everyone's eyes on him and, not for the first time, wished he was drunk. He lowered his back and weapon to the ground and called out for Yang who was too busy marvelling at the sight of her hand intertwined with Blake's to care about goodbyes.

“I forgot something in my room. Give me 2 minutes.”

“Alright. I hope you find him.” answered Yang with a wink. Could that kid be any more like her father?

For the second time this morning, Qrow swallowed a sarcastic comment and ~~ran~~ power-walked inside. 

After what ended up being way more than 2 minutes, he came out and if someone failed to catch his sour mood earlier, it was impossible to miss now. The man looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And to him, it sure felt like it.  
Clover was nowhere to be found. Not in his room or the kitchen or the training room or the meeting room or the garden- nowhere. Not that Qrow could really blame him. He didn't want to say goodbye either.

Finally, and pretending he couldn't feel everyone's eyes on him _again_ , he climbed on the airship and gave the Atlas team on final wave. He tried not looking at them too much. What was the point if turquoise eyes weren't there to look back at him?  
He sat in the front seat and waited for the kids to be done. For a man who had dreaded coming to Atlas, he sure felt no happiness leaving. He finally had a friend (because now it was never going to be more than that) his age that seemed to be genuinely happy in his presence and now it was over. Just his luck.

A few minutes later, he heard the kids coming on board and the airship's backdoor closing. Without a word, Ruby stood next to him and put a delicate hand on his shoulder and that simple gesture succeeding in making the Huntsman smile. For all he had lost today, he still had his nieces. And the other kids he guessed, they weren't that bad either.  
Soon enough the usual background noise of Ruby, Jaune, Weiss and Nora talking filled the air. Ren and Oscar mostly kept quiet as they looked deep in their thoughts and Qrow couldn't hear Yang and Blake either. He turned around and surely enough, they were silently cuddling. Of course they were.

“Well,” thought Qrow. “At least one gay love made it.”

He was happy for them, he really was. Maybe he should start calling Blake his niece just to mess with Yang. Yeah, he was definitely going to mess with Yang, she wouldn't hesitate messing with him after all. Fair game.

“Qrow.” suddenly called out Weiss. “I put your bag and weapon in the back room. You're welcome by the way.”

Right. Now that she was mentioning it, he couldn't remember taking his things on the airship or either seeing them when he came back from his desperate hunt. These kids really weren't that bad. 

Entering the backroom, he could see his Harbinger by the door but not his bag. He turned around, ready to ask the youngest Schnee _where exactly was all his stuff_ when- 

“Looking for something? Lucky you, I found his old bag when I came in.”

“That bag's not old.” answered weakly Qrow, knowing perfectly the faint shaking of his voice betrayed his current feelings.

What was Clover doing on the airship? For a minute, as he looked at the other man standing before him with Qrow's back in his hand, he wondered if he had finally snapped and gone crazy. Was his sleepless night catching up to him? Was it the altitude ? He didn't drink, did he? But he locked his eyes with those of the man in front of him and saw those turquoise eyes finally looking back at him.

“Wha- What are you doing here?” asked Qrow, looking at him with disbelief

“Well isn't that a nice way to greet your Lucky Charm.” Clover laughed, ignored the red blush that was spreading on Qrow's face. It was endearing, really. “Listen. I've been in Atlas for so long, I needed a break. I can't exactly quit my job with the current state of the world but I thought a professional trip wouldn't hurt. General Ironwood agreed and Ruby seemed way too enthusiastic letting me come with you all. Any idea why?” he said, stepping closer to Qrow with the biggest grin on his face.

The shape-shifter seemed to have finally proceed the situation and silently congratulated himself for it. This was his chance and he was not missing. 

“So huh... purely professional trip you said, huh?”

“If I'm lucky, it won't be just that.”

Before Qrow could answer, Clover's lips were on his. Maybe his luck was finally about to change.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway Fair Game rights. Writing this felt weird for several reasons. I haven't wrote fics in years, English is not my mother-tongue and being a student, I'm way more used to writing university essays that I am at writing gay fanfictions. I hope I did a good job still. I'm open to criticism so please feel free to tell me what you think  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
